The Pacifist *under heavy editing*

A year later

     It had been almost a year since that fatal day. It had been the talk of the small, unsuspecting town for weeks. Every other month or so, someone would see Will in the woods, and as those times passed the eyewitness accounts grew stranger and stranger. People stopped letting their children out of the safety of their home, hunting parties went out into the woods every few weeks, and often returned without one or two men.

     A town in terror couldn't possibly expect to enjoy the Fall's transition into Winter. The fear everyone had, though unspoken, left many to hide in the comfort of their homes. Halloween had been uneventful, with packs of children walking through town square, collecting candies from the shops, instead of walking around their neighborhoods. Local Lycan packs had been warned about the dark element haunting the woods, but they scoffed it off, until one of their own was found with a sizeable hole revealing a vacant thoracic cavity. After that, the some of the deceased's friends and family chose to stay behind, creating a "temporary" pack in the surrounding forest.

   Serene had run into its' members a few times now. She was one of the few comfortable with entering the woods and it's trails, and confident in returning. She personally had no quarrel with the lycanthropes, and she knew as well as everyone else that so long as the woods were watched so vigilantly, they were safe. As a human, she would've normally triggered some kind of reaction walking so freely into their claimed lands, however her blessing permitted her such a privilege. She was free to walk wherever she wished in the woods. That had always been the case.

     The new winter left the forest a kind of winter wonderland. Serene decided to go out on a hike once more this week, with the company of some friends. As a safety measure, everyone was given some sort of charm. Serene's friend, Everett, was given a beaded bracelet, that's charms made it an invisible shield over his arms, whereas her other friend, Janae, was given a necklace that would protect her neck and chest. It was a bit much, but Serenes friends didn't mind the extra protection. The three had been friends for a long time, and though time had past, they never changed enough to leave one another. They were thick as thieves, and knew each other as well as teenagers can know themselves.

    In this trio, only one had any proper supernatural blood in them. Everett had a great fae grandmother, and true to his blood he was the more troublesome in the group. The girls shared a witch family however, with Serene's family being old magic, and Janae's family being newer to it. While magic in the Lakatos family was a traditional aspect for them, Janae's family picked it up when her mother lived in New Orleans. The magic was different, but just as reliable. Unalike to Serene, Janae wasn't interested in following the family business, and wanted to become a lawyer. Her quiet demeanor would make this seem like a ridiculous idea, however, she was as cunning as could be, and more stubborn than a mule. Although nobody in the group was particularly dumb, Everett and Serene knew that if any of them got into and out of college fastest, it would be Janae. They trusted her most with decisions.

    Serene herself was simple. She wanted to work for her family's shop, maybe go to college for a bit and take up a side job at an editorial or something alike to that, and stay in her small hometown forever. She didn't have dreams of being a lawmaker like Janae, or becoming a pediatrician like Everett. She just wanted to stay in her zone, and she was happy with that. No matter where their futures would lead them, they would always have each other, and that's all Serene really wanted.

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Hello to the maybe 4 people still reading this! Thank you for your views, I really appreciate it.
I know it's not a romance, but thank you for giving The Pacifist a shot. I'm going to keep on writing, even if nobody is reading, and I hope to the one or two people that find this, that you enjoy the story!
Many thanks and much love,
AD
BTW: what do you guys want to go to college for?
I want to go to college and get a degree in English, Anthropology, and Behavioral psychology!